Welcome to the CPA website!
The Center for Photographic Art is an event-driven member’s non-profit organization. We are devoted to preserving and passing along the photographic knowledge and traditions that were first embodied in our gallery by Ansel Adams, Bret Weston, Wynn Bullock and The Friends of Photography.
With a physical gallery, we are able to provide a wide variety of exhibitions, ranging from famous photographers, thru contest winners, and on to exciting new talent.
On the other side of the exhibition coin are our events. We hold courses, member’s nights, fund-raisers, lectures and more.
Our juried competitions are actually both events and exhibitions: events as they are annual contests, and exhibitions, since the most popular reward for the contest is to see your image hanging on the same walls that held the work of the Friends of Photography. So, you’ll find those competitions listed under both “Exhibitions” and “Events.”
Finally, there are the benefits for members only.
As you’ll see the above, we have menus appropriate to these main categories: “Exhibitions”, “Events” and “Members”. As a non-profit, we need to recruit new members to keep the lights on, so we also offer ways to “Get Involved.”
We suggest you simply roll your cursor over each of the main menu items and see what is there.
In the “Members” menu, you will first find a convenient notice at the top to remind you if you are currently logged in as a member. (You must be logged in to receive your member discounts, and to visit the members-only pages.) Here too, you can access your account to make changes or to renew. Also here are the “FAQ” -Frequently Asked Questions about your membership. (You might want to take a quick look at the subjects covered there, just so you’ll know where to find those answers when you need them.)
Events
All that said, your main interaction with our site is through our Events Calendar. It automatically formats events in different ways on various pages. For example, on the home page you’ll see a number of “Current and Upcoming Events.” Click on any of them, and you’ll go directly to the main page for that event. Those main pages will have all the details you’ll need, and/or links to entry forms, instructions and so on.
Under the “Events” menu we have categorized the various types of events, to help you find what you’re looking for. There is also access to the “Full CPA Calendar.” Using the menu in the upper right of that page, you can adjust your view into a list (the default view), by month or by week. There is also a “photo” view, which is what you see on the home page. Finally, at the top of the page, you can search for events.
Member benefits
As a member, it’s only natural that you’re interested in the “Members” menu. If the first menu item says “You are NOT logged in” just click, and you’ll go to the login screen. Remember t hat you can find answers to all your membership questions by looking in the FAQ menu.
Next is the gateway to joining the CPA as a supporting member. There are options to fit every budget. One favorite membership option is “Member Photographer” and if you’ll click on that menu item, you’ll see why: each member photographer has his or her own page on our site; a link to their own site, a biography and statement, and a selection of sample images. This is one of our most popular options.
Up next is the entrance to member’s benefits. Members have access to interviews of well-known photographers and videos of lectures and gallery artists. Member can also more than cover the cost of membership by using their discounts for fine art photographic prints; and for entries to our juried competitions.
Finally, this CPA site was designed and created by our webmaster, long-time member/photographer Tracy Valleau. Mr. Valleau has over 25 years experience with websites, and continues to host and maintain the site. Please direct website-related questions to him, by clicking on “Email site maintenance” at the very bottom of each page.
We hope you enjoy the site.